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WSJ:

Young Men, Guns and Guardrails - WSJ

Paywall, can you share some of the key points?

Bring back the mental institutions imo. Do that and these sort of disgusting crimes against humanity would happen less. There are sick evil mentally deranged people in this world who simply put do not belong on the streets.

Those were very dicey from a constitutional rights perspective, and I can’t imagine that has changed

Well, it's hard, because he's my brother and therefore I love him, but I really don't like him. We are not buddies or friends. Holidays only - if even that. If I don't pick up the phone to call him, there is no communication.

Once in a very long while he texts me (he's a geek too). Only if the moon is blue.

But that's also my nephew who I care about.

WSJ has become my go-to National paper.

The NYT is not what it used to be (not even close), and the Chicago Tribune is a shell of itself. It's sad.

I'm not sure this is because we are losing religion, but I'm not certain it isn't either

Good people will do good things.
Bad people will do bad things.
But when religion is gone, good people will no longer do bad things.

I admit, this went a slightly less rancorous path than I expected, so that's a bit of a win. 

I find myself at a loss for direction, looking at all this. One side poses access solutions. The other people solutions (mental health, identifying). The former is much more actionable, but with less hope of an impact. The latter would be helpful, in theory, but in terms of scale and general functionality, deeply unrealistic. 

In my younger years, I'd probably be all gung ho about gun control. But I got older, lived in a few armed homes. At least once felt that pacifying sense of thinking an armed roommate would deliver a measure of protection. And in truth, as we've said, the availability is there. Without counting law enforcement or the military, our guns outnumber people and are getting more concentrated. To put such a dent in the supply that it could tangibly matter, that would take generations with concerted effort.

And there won't be a concerted effort. The fact is, firearms make a lot of people feel very good. It's an interesting cultural quirk. Mdot said a gun was like a hammer or hatchet, a tool. But people don't get the way about hammers that they do about guns, at least not at scale (truth be told, the bad feelings about them are likewise over the top). In the end, they're most often a tool to kill, or to give off the possibility of killing, which is the mechanism by which they "protect." Ideally we'd have a clear-eyed functional respect, but in too many cases, firearms inspire a sort of fetishism. 


That might be more worrisome than anything else. I'm not sure if we've got a deeper well of anger than past generations. It feels like it, but we also have access to more of the world. Our history certianly features a lot of anger, and there's plenty of it in the world day-to-day, but we seem to be enjoying it in different ways. Shakespeare wrote "these violent delights have violent ends," and if feels like we're embodying that in a lot of ways. 

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak announced on Thursday a windfall tax of 25% for oil and gas companies.
25% Energy Profits Levy may slow down investments in North Sea oil.
The "windfall tax" is temporary and will be phased out when oil and gas prices return to historically more normal levels.
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Following months of rumors and indecision, the UK government announced on Thursday a 25% Energy Profits Levy, commonly referred to as a “windfall tax”, as part of a package to ease the cost-of-living crisis stemming from huge rises in household energy bills.

The UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, announced on Thursday a new temporary 25% Energy Profits Levy for oil and gas companies, reflecting their extraordinary profits as oil and gas prices surged.

The move has long been opposed by the industry, which argues that a windfall tax would add uncertainty to the UK tax regime and will hit new investments in the UK North Sea at a time when the UK grapples with reducing reliance on foreign imports of oil and gas.

Despite numerous calls and letters from the offshore operators and offshore services firms not to impose a windfall levy, the UK government proceeded with it and said that the new levy “will include a generous new 80% investment allowance.”

“This balanced approach allows the government to deliver support to families, while encouraging investment and growth,” the UK government said.

The Energy Profits Levy will apply to profits arising on or after May 26, 2022. The tax is temporary and will be phased out when oil and gas prices return to historically more normal levels. The legislation will also include a sunset clause, which will remove the tax after December 31, 2025, the UK government said. The new tax will be charged on oil and gas company profits at a rate of 25% and is expected to raise around $6.3 billion (£5 billion) in its first 12 months, which will go towards easing the burden on families.